Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in Innovation Masterclass
On 25th July 2018, digital entrepreneur Lopa Patel MBE hosted a Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in Innovation Masterclass for a select number of tech startup founders. The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most are the most prestigious awards for UK businesses. Since the Awards’ inception in 1965 over 7000 companies have won a Queen’s Award. With applications for 2019 closing on at midday on Wednesday 12th September 2018, startups were encouraged to consider how winning an award offers businesses multiple benefits, including global recognition, boosting staff morale and increasing growth.
73% of winners in the International Trade category directly attributed increased sales to winning a Queen’s Award* (*research of International Trade winners between 2012—2015 conducted by the University of Strathclyde). There are also potential opportunities to work with government on the development and testing of policies and initiatives and attend a Royal reception.
Lopa shared details of her own experience of winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion in 2015 and insights about the eligibility and awarding criteria for the Innovation award for which she is a judge. Feedback from the Masterclass achieved a 100% satisfaction score for the session and its content with 42.8% of attendees likely to make an applications this year. “Very informative and provided easy, logical information on how and why to apply,” said one attendee with another saying that its was “really positive, very clear understanding of putting in a solid application”.
Categories
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise recognise and encourage the outstanding achievements of UK businesses in the fields of:
- Innovation;
- International Trade;
- Sustainable Development; and,
- Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility).
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible, your organisation (company or charity) must meet the following basic eligibility criteria:
- be based in the UK;
- file its Tax Returns with HM Revenue and Customs;
- be a self-contained enterprise;
- have at least 2 full-time UK employees or part-time equivalents;
- demonstrate strong corporate social responsibility
Innovation Award
To apply for the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation, the innovation should be in one of the following categories:
- invention, design or production of goods
- performance of services
- marketing and distribution
- after-sale support of goods or services
About Queen’s Awards for Enterprise
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the UK. The
awards were first established in 1965 and since then over 7000 companies have achieved a
Queen’s Award.
The awards celebrate the success of exciting and innovative businesses which are leading
the way with pioneering products or services, delivering impressive social mobility
programmes or showing their commitment to excellent sustainable development practices.
This year 230 UK businesses have been recognised for their contribution to international
trade, innovation, sustainable development and promoting opportunity (through social
mobility). 8 of these businesses won double awards.
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2018 include:
152 awards for international trade
72 awards for innovation
8 awards for sustainable development
6 awards for promoting opportunity
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2019 are open to applications until 12th September 2018.
Almost all UK businesses (including non profit) can apply, and the application process is
free.
All applications must be made online, and you may apply for more than one category.
All entry forms and information on how to apply is available at https://goo.gl/rgPB4C
